Police Blotter: DOT employee charged with theft and had gun

THEFT AND UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A HANDGUN, May 16. The New Jersey State Police arrested a 29-year New Jersey Department of Transportation employee for using a state-issued fuel card to steal close to $2,000 worth of gasoline, during a two year span. In January 2014, while Sgt. Dustin Foschetti of Perryville Station was waiting to fuel his patrol car at the Clinton DOT yard, he observed William Lomonaco, 55, of Kenilworth pumping fuel into a truck that did not appear to be a DOT vehicle. A four month investigation by the New Jersey State Police, the Office of the Inspector General, and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office found that Lomonaco used a DOT fuel card at various locations to activate gas pumps to fuel his personal vehicle, police said. After Lomonaco was arrested, detectives searched his assigned DOT vehicle and found a 6mm pistol. Lomonaco was charged with official misconduct, theft and unlawful possession of a handgun. He was sent to Hunterdon County Jail in lieu of $5,000 with a 10 percent option, police said.

POSSESSION, 2 p.m., May 12. A teacher at North Hunterdon High School saw what she believed to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction in the hallway of the school. A 15-year-old Clinton Township girl was observed handing money to a 17-year-old Clinton Township boy. The boy was then seen handing the girl a pill. As a result, the locker of the boy was searched by school authorities and the boy was found to be in possession of six unknown white pills, suspected to be a controlled dangerous substance, as well as a small amount of marijuana, police said. An investigation revealed that a 17-year-old Clinton Township girl supplied the boy with at least two pills and that he sold one of them to the 15-year-old girl, police said. All are students at the high school and Detective Thomas Hash, the School Resource Officer, is investigating. He will be filing charges against the boy and is also meeting with the parents of the two girls to determine an appropriate disposition, police said.

THEFT, between 12 p.m., May 3 and 4 p.m., May 12. A cashbox with $160 was stolen from a firewood stand on Valley Crest Road, police said.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT, 3:40 p.m., May 14. A 2008 Yamaha R6 motorcycle driven by Thomas Giovanucci, 17, of Clinton Township, was traveling west on Route 626 when a 2001 Mazda 3 operated by Donna Feehrer, 53, of Flemington, emerged from Lower West Street and collided with the motorcycle. Giovanucci was ejected from the motorcycle and had to be flown to Morristown Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries via Medivac helicopter, which landed at the Spruce Run school, police said. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene, police said.

THEFT, May 16. Detectives developed probable cause to believe that Jeffrey White, 54, of Hampton, committed the theft of a backpack and other items from the commuter lot on May 12. White was charged with theft and receiving stolen property. Detectives also recovered some of the stolen property from the May 12 incident.

MIDDLESEX

THEFT, 5:17p.m., May 2. A resident of Lee Drive reported a theft of a Magellan GPS valued at $150 from a motor vehicle. The vehicle was parked in the roadway at the time of the theft and the car's doors were unlocked, police said.

BURGLARY AND THEFT , 6:13 p.m., May 3. A resident of the 800 block of Voorhees Avenue reported a burglary and a theft. A sliding glass door on the rear of the residence was forced open, two bedrooms were ransacked, a safe was forced open and $4,000 in cash was removed, police said.

WARREN

BURGLARY, 11:40 a.m., May 9. A Meadow Drive resident said his house was burglarized, police said.

BURGLARY , 10:44 p.m., May 8. Police responded to a residential burglary on Crestwood Drive where entry was gained through an unlocked basement rear window, police said. Jewelry and an unknown amount of cash was taken.

NORTH PLAINFIELD

DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED, 12:43 a.m., May 9. Wilson Vasquez-Tzoy, 27, of Plainfield was charged with driving while intoxicated after being stopped for a motor vehicle violation, police said.

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA, 10:42 p.m., May 8. Anwar Bryan, 28, of Dunellen was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams at the Howard Johnson Hotel on Route 22, police said. He was found smoking marijuana in his vehicle in the parking lot.

BRIDGEWATER

DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED, 2:30 a.m., May 6. James J. Weaver, 26, of Dunellen was charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain a lane and reckless driving following a motor vehicle stop on Route 22 east, police said.

VEHICLE BURGLARY, May 16. A motor vehicle burglary of a GPS unit and its stand was reported on Union Avenue in the Finderne section of the township, police said. The vehicle was at a storage yard.

THEFT, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., May 15. Fifteen bottles of cologne valued at $810 was stolen from Abercrombie & Fitch, a clothing store in the Bridgewater Commons Mall, police said.

SHOPLIFTING, 9:45 p.m., May 9. Joseph Liccardi, 22, of Basking Ridge, was charged with shoplifting a pair of sunglasses while at Lord & Taylor in the Bridgewater Commons Mall, police said.

DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED, 1:30 a.m., May 10. William Romero, 56, of Dowington, Pa. was charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving following a motor vehicle accident investigation on Talamini Road, police said.

SHOPLIFTING, 3:22 p.m., May 13. Police charged Dean S. Seneca, 58, of Flemington with shoplifting following a report of a shoplifting incident witnessed by loss prevention at Wal-Mart. Loss prevention told police that Seneca was caught taking merchandise out of the store when the security alarm went off.

SHOPLIFTING, 4:11 p.m., May 14. Police charged Krystle J. McDaniels, 29, of Ringoes with shoplifting following a report of a shoplifting incident witnessed by loss prevention at Wal-Mart. Loss prevention told police that McDaniels was seen taking merchandise and concealing the items in her purse, police said.